Cheongjinryeong’s momentum surged steeply.
It radiated an intense energy as if it would explode and kill me at any moment, but it couldn’t actually do so.
“Since Junseon is here.”
With the master of Jangmugye, Gyeoryu, glaring with its bright blue eyes, the chances of Cheongjinryeong making a move were close to zero.
“You trust the rules too much. Do you think I can’t touch you?”
“Yes.”
“……”
[Hahahahahaha]
[You can’t do anything, can you?]
[Isn’t it a fair price? ㅇㅅㅇ]
[Ah ha, just hand it over.]
[80,000 should be cheap.]
[You really can’t do anything, right? Annoying, huh?]
[Hahaha]
“It’s not difficult at all. It’s just a ‘minor’ investment for the past actions and future.”
“… You don’t make sense.”
Cheongjinryeong’s hand moved.
Countless waves erupted at its touch, momentarily covering the entire top floor.
The waves, spreading like clouds, seemed to obscure someone’s ‘gaze.’
“I can’t see!”
Yena, far away, flailed her arms.
A state that even Yena, a Myojok, couldn’t grasp with her sensitivity and abilities.
As I turned my head, the entire top floor trembled like it was vibrating.
“It’s the magic technique of ‘遮視.’ Just for a moment, I can escape That Person’s gaze.”
“Oh ho. But are we really escaping it?”
From what I saw of Junseon, it seemed like he would be able to see through this too.
“Or not?”
But since I hadn’t seen Mokmujin’s eyes, there was a chance I couldn’t see it.
If this magic technique was on Junseon’s level, that would be a no, but I felt quite a significant level of Cosmic Spirit.
Cheongjinryeong’s voice rumbled.
“I’ll give you one last chance. Contain a thousand spirits of a practitioner above the avatar. Then I will forgive the rudeness until now.”
“It’s increased since last time?”
“You thought I would just let it go? If you don’t accept the proposal, surely you’ll face the consequences…”
“My proposal is the same as the first time. No more, no less, just give me 76,900 years, and I will forgive everything and provide support.”
“……”
[Hahahahahahahaha]
[Wow]
[Lily is so nice ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Lifespan? Can’t you just give it?]
[The Great Lily]
[Lifespan vs. Soul]
[Yena flailing looks hilarious ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Just give me some, hahaha]
[But what’s the point of 76,900 years?]
Gugugugu…!
The space trembled.
The clouds of Cosmic Spirit filling the top floor began to vigorously stretch and open up the void.
“Oh ho?”
Rather than simply opening it, it was transforming the top floor into another space.
To put it more accurately, it was an act close to ‘space overlap.’
‘… Ignorance has reached its limit!’
“It’s not ignorance; it’s just really, really hard…”
“Shut up!!!”
“Shut up!!!”
Kwahahahaha!!
“Kyahhyang!!”
Yena was tossed away, swept up by the violently writhing cloud.
Though Yena had some parrying skills, there was no way to handle attacks coming from all directions.
“My opponent is a Display Case Practitioner too.”
[Hahahahaha]
[Lily, stop with the jokes]
[I guess they found the bad jokes funny]
[Lilha hahahaha]
[Why does Yena always get hit first in these situations?]
[Yenang goes flying]
[Boy – Lily]
“Wasn’t it fun??”
I slowly began to prepare, watching the top floor changing bizarrely.
But I thought it was somewhat fun.
As I said that and looked at the camera, an endless stream of ? appeared.
[?]
[Ah, that makes sense]
[Lily’s so fun!]
[??? Hahahaha]
[Lilha hahahaha]
[Only Lily’s loyal followers are here]
[If you look closely, Lily is really weird]
[Just Boy Lily]
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha]
[Information) Was originally weird]
“More importantly, right now…”
The top floor is changing.
Before I knew it, the ceiling that had been blocking the top floor disappeared, and the turquoise sky filled its place.
On the ground, giant blue clouds were piled up like stones.
Clouds that were solid instead of gaseous.
“Archlords cannot interfere in other lands. That’s the rule of Jangmugye.”
But what about this place?
“……”
“This place is no longer Lord Jeokmu-hyang. The rule of not interfering with the land is no longer a restriction.”
“Are you done playing the Grim Reaper now?”
“Thanks to whom.”
Gugugugu!!
Waves are pouring out.
The blue waves extending from the clouds in all directions enveloped me.
The waves trembled as if they were going to crush me in an instant.
Sizzle…!
I summoned the Dragon Heart.
“…!”
“Let’s keep it simple for now.”
I summoned a hundred Infinite Completions.
The Infinite Completions ignited with golden currents, incinerating all the waves before pouring back toward Cheongjinryeong.
“Humph!”
As Cheongjinryeong waved his hand, a blue spirit wavered and blocked the Infinite Completion.
It wasn’t an extraordinary attack, but it wasn’t too weak either.
It had enough power to crush any Axis of Transition Device Practitioner.
Even so, Cheongjinryeong was able to neutralize the Infinite Completion merely by waving his hand.
“Wow.”
“I’ve been hit by Infinite Completion endlessly. Do you think just one Holy Artifact could lead me to victory?”
“Lord Jeokho won.”
“I’m not Jeokho.”
“Not that.”
Cheongjinryeong is about the middle of the display case.
He was a much stronger existence than Jeokho, who was merely at the entrance of the display case.
Of course, Jeokho had become much stronger thanks to the spirit separation, but it seemed that Cheongjinryeong had also repeatedly made his own ‘sacrifices’ to reach an extraordinary level.
[Wait?]
[Enduring infinite completion]
[Are they all immune to infinite completion?]
“You’re doing well.”
[…sweating bullets]
“I’m not going to kill you. There are worse pains for an ascetic than dying—”
“Is it that you can’t do it?”
No matter what the space is, killing another archlord is out of the question.
If that were possible, they wouldn’t have been waiting for a ‘meeting’ in the first place.
“…I’d rather you make me beg for death.”
All the clouds in the space begin to move.
I don’t know how strong Cheongjinryeong’s power is, but I thought this might be close to his full strength.
I pulled out another hundred infinite completions.
Upon taking out the same number of infinite completions, Cheongjinryeong frowned, perhaps thinking he was being ignored.
But it wasn’t the case that I drew those numbers to specifically disregard him.
“Hmm.”
At the time I defeated Jeokho, my level was the Avatar Phase.
It was quite a daunting level to face Jeokho, who was a display case practitioner, but now I’ve ascended to the Record Phase.
Five thousand infinite completions is more than enough.
“So…”
“…?!”
“Looks about right.”
Not yet!
The display case is ‘sufficient’ at this level.
■
I’m dizzy.
What just happened?
Cheongjinryeong, the only display case practitioner of Jangmugye and the master of Lord Cheongmuhyang, seemed to be walking down an endless road with not a beam of light in sight.
What on earth is happening…
“…Are you coming to your senses?”
“Ugh…”
“Looks like you’re still not back.”
“Just give me a hit.”
“Oh come on. That’s too harsh on someone who’s already been hit.”
“He blew me away! So it’s okay to hit me again!”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
…What are they talking about?
I can barely breathe.
Since reaching the level of the display case, flesh has simply become a fabric to contain the soul.
But right now, that fabric seemed to be tightly binding me.
As if my rank was being heavily pressed down…
“Ha, ha!”
“Oh, you’ve come to your senses.”
“Darn.”
Darn?
Cheongjinryeong looked around with a startled expression and saw something huge.
The hammer that was going back and forth above his head just moments ago.
Its owner, looking somewhat disappointed, retrieved the hammer and slung it over their shoulder.
If I hadn’t woken up, they would have aimed to bring it down on my head!
“Wh-What is…?”
“Are you awake now?”
This woman…
“Lord Jeokmu-hyang?”
“That’s a relief. I was thinking of poking you again.”
“W-what’s going on…?”
“Don’t you remember?”
Cheongjinryeong grabbed his dizzy head.
Surely… he had come to make a ‘proposal’ to the new Lord Jeokmu-hyang following Jeokho.
He had been fishing for various tributes, including Unryusan, and this time would be no different.
First, he planned to establish a definite upper-lower relationship by asking for something small, then rake in more tributes.
The souls of lower-level practitioners held no real value for the Archlord other than piling up.
If they were a radical enough person to usurp Jeokho’s position, he could happily hand them over.
However, this arrogant person couldn’t even accept such an easy proposal and instead blabbered some nonsense about wanting a lifespan.
So he decided to drag her into the space…
“So…”
“So?”
“…you. What’s your true identity?”
“What do you think?”
The woman laughed.
Cheongjinryeong felt chills run down his spine.
She was definitely a Record Phase practitioner.
Her level was around the mid-tier of the Record Phase, and she could exert a power equal to the entrance of the display case with holy artifacts and unique magic techniques, but that was her limit.
‘It had to be a limit.’
He had never seen anyone, aside from the master of Jangmugye, with such overwhelming might against the display case.
“Insane…”
Who on earth is this person?
“The damage has increased. What should I do?”
“……”
“As I said before, I don’t plan to demand much.”
“…a lifespan?”
“It’s simple, right? It’s easier than asking for a soul. I can forgive everything that happened and even provide future support.”
The Lord Jeokmu-hyang said she would forgive all past ‘rudeness’ and offer support moving forward.
It was somewhat ridiculous, but having witnessed this woman’s strength, he couldn’t bring himself to argue.
Cheongjinryeong’s mind raced.
An unbeatable existence, a Record Phase practitioner in need of a lifespan, and the Archlord-type folks with whom he shared a common goal but could stab him in the back at any moment.
Plus those ‘things’ that had been appearing frequently lately.
Combining a few terms in his head, Cheongjinryeong nodded.
“…I’ll give it to you. Despite how it looks, I have quite a bit of lifespan saved up. If you want, I can give you more than around 80,000─”
“No.”
Lord Jeokmu-hyang, Lily, declared firmly.
“It has to be pure lifespan.”
“H-huh?”
“It must be pure lifespan. Not lifespan made by exchanging souls, but pure lifespan.”
If it’s not that, she wouldn’t accept it.
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